


Cassiopeia

by pinkamour1588



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Kissing, M/M, Nervousness, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Service Dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 16:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12845361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkamour1588/pseuds/pinkamour1588
Summary: Jim and Leonard welcome a new furry addition to their family.





	Cassiopeia

Jim stood speaking with a fifteen-year-old boy named Eric who reminded him far too much of himself. Terrible childhood. Clearly intelligent but not doing very well in school. Wanting something better than his small-town life. Wanting to make a difference. Off to the side Leonard was bouncing the teenager’s one-year-old sister in his arms and talking with their six-year-old brother.

“It would be awesome to join Starfleet, especially attending the Academy, but I don’t feel like I’m good enough to do it. I mean, I’m just skimming by in some of my classes,” Eric explained, clearly disheartened.

“Well, for starters, you are good enough. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You just need someone to believe in you,” Jim answered.

“And where am I supposed to find that? None of my teachers seem to believe in me. My mom’s too busy with Josh and Leah and her second husband just left.”

“I believe in you. Apply yourself in your classes in school, study hard, work your ass off, and don’t give up.”

The two of them spent the next few minutes talking before Eric headed off, almost having to pry his siblings away from Leonard since neither child wanted to let go of him. Jim couldn’t help but smile as he watched his boyfriend wave goodbye to the two children.

For the rest of the day, whenever Jim caught sight of Leonard kneeling down to talk to a child or bouncing a baby in his arms, talking to them as they giggled and grabbed at his face, he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.

That night as the two of them laid in bed, Jim tracing the freckles on Leonard’s back, deep in thought, he suddenly asked, “Bones, have you ever thought about having more kids?”

Leonard raised an eyebrow, although Jim couldn’t see him. “Jim, do I need to give you an anatomy lesson again? Neither of us has the right parts to have a kid together.”

“But we could get someone who does. Or adopt.”

“You think we’re ready for that? You just became captain not long ago and I thought you had your eye on that five-year mission Starfleet’s been talking about.”

Jim sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, you’re right. Stupid of me to bring it up.”

Leonard turned over and put a hand on Jim’s waist. “It’s not stupid Jim. I love the idea of raising a kid with you. I’m just not sure now is the best time. We already don’t get to see Joanna as much as we would like, do you really want to add another kid? I don’t want to miss out on all the milestones, do you?”

Jim swallowed the lump in his throat then whispered. “I wouldn’t want to miss a single one.”

“We will have a family together one day, Jim. I promise.” Leonard kissed Jim on the forehead, holding him close.

Jim curled up against him silently. A few minutes later he whispered, so quietly Leonard almost couldn’t hear him, “I never knew I wanted kids.”

Leonard’s chest clenched. He knew Jim loved kids so he never bothered to ask if Jim wanted any. Jim obviously loved Joanna but Leonard assumed that was because he loved him. Joanna was just part of the packaged set.

“Then I got you and Jojo and I realized that the two of you were what I always wanted,” Jim continued softly.

“And you were what I never knew I needed.”

Jim let out a small laugh. “My recklessness? My impulsivity? My brokenness? That’s what you never knew you needed?”

Leonard’s expression softened and he rubbed Jim’s back gently. “The way your eyes light up when you see my daughter. The little lines beside your eyes when you smile. The way you do that thing when you laugh. The way you love me even when I can’t figure out why. The way you hold me tight even though you don’t understand my pain. The way you try to understand my pain. That’s what I never knew I needed, Jim.”

Jim was blinking back tears. “You’re too good for me, Bones.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. I’m just the eternal screw up who somehow managed to accomplish  _something_.”

“You didn’t become a captain by screwing up, Jim. You worked damn hard to get there and you didn’t let anything stand in your way.”

“I still screwed up. You know Chris had to have command over look my misdemeanors so I could so much as be accepted into the Academy.”

“But you proved you deserved to be there.”

“But what did I do to deserve you?”

“You were just you. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

Jim reached up and traced his fingers over Leonard’s cheek. “I love you, Leonard.”

“I love you too, Jim.”

“Bones,” Jim said a few minutes later, “What about a dog?”

“A smaller, hairier version of you? I think I have enough on my plate.”

Jim pouted. “Please, Bones. I’ll help take care of it. And Joanna would love it.”

“And my sister? It would be living at her house.”

“We could find space for it on the Enterprise. Maybe. Probably.”

“What happens when shit hits the fan?”

“The dog can stay in our quarters unless one of us is with it. It would be great for crew morale.” Jim looked down, avoiding Leonard’s gaze. “And good for me,” he added softly.

“So, you’re asking me for a therapy dog?”

“I guess. Sort of,” Jim mumbled.

“Good, cause I think I can swing that.”

Jim looked up at him hopefully. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

Jim cracked a small smile and hugged Leonard closer. “Thank you. I promise I’ll help take care of it. Dr. Greys can add to the support if your support isn’t enough.”

“I’m sure it will be, but I might ask for her support anyway. She is your therapist after all.”

“Still, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Leonard smiled giving Jim a small kiss.

***

Two months later, Jim was squirming in the passenger’s seat of the car while Leonard drove to a nearby city.

“Breathe,” Leonard laughed looking at Jim out of the corner of his eye.

“I am. I’m just excited.” Jim glared playfully at him.

Leonard smiled, reaching over and patting Jim’s leg. Jim continued fidgeting for the rest of the drive. Then suddenly he froze.

“Bones, what if she doesn’t like me?” Jim said nervously.

“She’s a dog. She no doubt likes everyone she meets.”

“But she needs to love me. The purpose of me having her is defeated if she doesn’t love me.”

“Jim, she’ll love you. I’m sure of it.” Leonard took one of Jim’s hands and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

“I just hope you’re right.”

“What’re you talking about? I’m always right.”

Jim rolled his eyes and threaded his fingers between his boyfriend’s.

About twenty minutes later, they pulled up in front of a house. Jim took a deep breath and let it out slowly before reaching into the backseat for the bag and double checking its contents.

“Decided on a reasonable name yet?” Leonard asked as they got out of the car and started walking toward the front door.

“Cassiopeia,” Jim answered.

“You couldn’t pick a more normal name?”

Jim frowned. “The idea is that her nickname is Cassie.”

“In that case, I love it.” Leonard rang the doorbell, putting his hand on Jim’s lower back, rubbing his gently.

“Hello, Jim and Leonard, is it?” a young dark-haired woman asked when she opened the door.

“Yes, and you must be Rosa,” Leonard smiled.

“Well, come on in.” She stepped aside and let the two men walk in. She showed them to the main room where a man not much older than Leonard sat on the couch holding the leash on the Cavalier Spaniel-Golden Retriever mix standing at his feet.

“So, how do we do this?” Jim asked, staring at the dog.

“You can sit on the couch or floor and let her come to you. Either way, we’ll keep her on the leash until you’re comfortable with each other for it to be taken off,” Rosa answered.

Jim nodded, thinking for moment before sitting down near the coffee table. The man let the dog’s leash out a little to let her walk over to Jim. She walked directly over to him sniffing him before licking his face. Jim froze for a moment in shock, then grinned and started petting her and scratching her behind the ears. Leonard smiled as he talked with Rosa about the details of the adoption. After a few minutes, the dog laid down in front of Jim, rolling over so he could rub her belly. The man holding the leash moved over and reached down, detaching it from her collar.

“Bones,” Jim said looking up from the dog but continuing to pet her.

“Yeah?” Leonard asked as he walked over.

Jim patted the spot on the floor next to him near the dog’s head. “Gotta make sure she likes you.”

Leonard sat down before reaching out and letting the dog sniff his hand before starting to pet her.

~

They spent the next two hours familiarizing themselves with the dog and letting the dog familiarize herself with them. Eventually, she settled laying down with her head on Jim’s leg.

“So, do you want to see how she does at home with you?” Rosa asked.

Jim looked to Leonard.

“I’m leaving it up to you,” Leonard said to him.

“Yes,” Jim nodded.

“I’ll go get the bag from the car and then we can work on the paperwork.” Leonard said as he stood from his spot on the couch then headed out to the car. When he returned, Jim had moved closer to the coffee table, filling out some of the paperwork, the dog’s head still resting on his lap.

“Bones, are you really alright with the name I picked?” Jim asked when Leonard sat back down on the couch, setting the bag next to him.

“As long as I can call her a normal name, I’m fine with it.”

Jim looked down at the dog. “What do you think? You want your name to be Cassiopeia?”

She lifted her head and looked up at him, then rested her head back on his knee.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes.”

~

On the drive home, Jim spent most of his time turned around to some degree, talking to Cassie. As soon as they got to the apartment, Jim set her free to explore the space that would be her home for the next few months.

“One week and then no taking her back,” Leonard said standing next to Jim, watching Cassie walk around sniffing everything.

“I highly doubt I’ll want to anyway,” Jim smiled.

~

Leonard couldn’t help but grin as he made dinner that night, listening to Jim laughing and talking as he played with Cassie. Despite his knowledge that she was trained for her duties as Jim’s therapy dog, he was hesitant as to how exactly Cassie would behave while they were eating. So far she seemed like almost any other pet dog he’d come in contact with. Playful, affectionate, curious.

As he put dinner on the table, he looked over to the living room where Jim laid on the floor with Cassie, petting and talking to her. “Jim, dinner’s ready,” he said.

Jim was scrambling onto his feet and to the table, Cassie not far behind him. Leonard watched her out of the corner of his eye, strangely impressed that she simply laid next to Jim’s chair when he sat down. There was not a single moment when she looked up that tried to beg for food. She would just watch the two of them for a moment when they made more noise then lay her head back down.

***

Cassie followed Jim everywhere, always a few feet away. She slept next to the bed on Jim’s side. Even when she was eating, she had an eye on Jim. The only times she was more than a couple feet away was if she saw Leonard was close. So, it was surprising when Leonard got home at one in the morning after a disturbingly long shift to Cassie at the front door.

“Hey, Cassie, what’re you doing up?” Leonard asked reaching out to pet her.

She didn’t give him a chance to before she ran back to the bedroom at the sound of Jim letting out a loud cry. Leonard made sure that the front door was locked before dropping his keys and hurrying to the bedroom. Jim was tangled in the sheets, sweating as he tossed and turned crying. Cassie had her front paws on the bed, whimpering as she struggled to get up. Leonard pulled her up onto the bed the rest of the way and she instantly started licking Jim’s face while Leonard got undressed for bed. Jim opened his eyes after a minute, looking around panicking until his eyes settled on Cassie. He reached out a shaking hand and rested it on her side.

Leonard stood back watching as she settled lying next to Jim as he pet her, hands shaking. Jim turned onto his side and pressed his face into her fur while tears streamed down his face.

“Jimmy,” Leonard said gently, loud enough for Jim to hear.

Jim whimpered, glancing away from Cassie for a moment and over at Leonard, then buried his face back in her fur.

“Do you need anything before I get in bed?”

Jim shook his head.

Leonard got into bed and moved closer to Jim, kissing the side of his head before rubbing his arm gently. After a couple minutes, Jim turned his head so he was just resting his cheek on Cassie.

“She woke me up,” Jim whispered.

“She did her job,” Leonard nodded tiredly.

Jim petted her side absentmindedly. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For letting me get her.”

Leonard lifted himself up on his elbow and leaned in, kissing Jim’s cheek. “No need. She makes you happy and that’s all I could ask for.”

Jim smiled as he felt Leonard get settled curled up around him and doze off.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://pinkamour1588.tumblr.com)


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